Thankful for Thanksgiving

As far as my pie making went for Thanksgiving, I made an egg custard for my folks, a small bowl of just custard was left over which I had some of it a few nights later. Since my oldest step daughter was making pumpkin pies, I decided not to make any of them. Just cleaned house instead. I think I'd just gone to bed when Don's family arrived at 2 am!
 
I'd prepared enough groceries for at least 2 breakfasts. I had to get bacon for the 3rd day.
 
My pistachio pudding turned out the best it has and I was thankful. The recipe was on the box. Now my SIL & I know how to make it right! LOL  Well, I made more another night, but the crushed pineapple I used didn't have alot of juice so I had improvise by adding milk to it. Our turkey was better than my oldest step daughter's was. She used rosemary & other herbs. I am NOT a big rosemary fan. That Thanksgiving afternoon, Elisa, my SIL Peggy & I ran to Big Lots. I got 2 of Rhett's Christmas gifts and I was thankful. He is going to love one of them. I may let him open that one on Christmas Eve. I didn't buy a lot and was proud of myself. Peggy almost bought Jo-Ann's out the next day! She gave me one of her business cards she made herself using a photo I took of one of the crafts she makes. She also knits baby clothes and makes baby blankets. It made me feel so good that she used MY photo. She even had made herself one of those snuggies & is selling them for $10 which is much cheaper than they are in store!
 
Peggy & I went shopping on Friday. Not early at 3 am like Elisa & Stephanie did! I am too old for that! Peggy is a little older than me so we decided we'd take our sweet time. We just really enjoyed being together and doing that and I was thankful for this sister moment especially since I have no sister. Just best friends who are like my sisters. This was a 1st for Peggy and I. I hope it won't be our last. I know if we lived closer we would do a lot more as I would with my DIL up there in Indy.  We shopped from 9-4. Got home at 5 after going to Walmart 3 times! 1st to drop film off for my MIL. We spent the most time at Jo-Ann's. I did good. I only got a few things. Mostly $1 items; mostly rubber stamps. I did get the latest issue of "Somerset Studios" magazine. I'd sent the link to it before. Since Peggy was still shopping, I sat down in the pattern area and read some of my magazine. We looked at it later & found we liked most of the same things. We got sandwiches at Fire House. Peggy liked my Italian sub! Then we all had tacos back at Elisa's that evening.
 
Don's luck has changed ... first him finally getting a job with his firend Michael for which we are so very thankful. Then he got a deer the day after Thanksgiving! Elisa got onto him for leaving his cell at her house & being out in the woods by himself. She called him a "moron" on the phone, but he didn't hear it. She apologized for it later and hugged him.
 
My granddaughter Tatum made brownies for me. They were so good and I was thankful.
 
While at Jo-Ann's, I saw a simple lady bug stamp, but knew I could draw it. So I took out my art journal right there in the store & quickly drew one as well as a scumbling Christmas tree. I just had to draw later so I drew more lady bugs in my journal as my Grandaughter Tatum watched.
 
You know my life is never without drama. Saturday was my comedy of errors. We tried out the Bacon Genie mom gave me, but I never used it. She hasn't used her's either so I don't feel so bad. LOL She was waiting for me to try mine out. The drain in the ink in the kitchen wasn't draining properly. There was some water still left in the dishwasher. After breakfast, Don took his dad, his baby bro Alan to the woods to get his 4-wheeler & so Alan could see some horses along the way as well as the hunting land. I had a whole load of dishes to wash so I used the dishwasher.
 
I got on to Rhett for not having socks on. He had been coughing. I had to get up at 3 am that morning because he was coughing. Rhett asked me why was the kitchen floor wet! I had to grab towels, pick up wet rugs, ask for Peggy's help and get the water up. We formed a water brigade getting the water out of the sink. I couldn't find my mop behind the shelf Don put up in the garage. Then I couldn't get the ring out type mop down from it's holder behind this self! The one we tried to use, wouldn't get the water up so we used towels.
 
Once got all the water up, I had to take all the wet towels & kitchen rugs downstairs to the basement to wash & dry them. I was a real Domesic Goddess this weekend especially today! I was just thankful for all of Peggy's help. I don't know what I would have done without her. I wasn't so overwhelmed this year and I was very thankful for NOT having that feeling.
 
That is the 2nd or 3rd time a dishwasher has done this. The 1st time was right
after we were married. I was barefoot, stepped in the water, slipped & fell on one knee. I was lucky I didn't break my knee cap. At least it didn't get to the carpet this time.
 
So now Don has to work on the drain.
 
Then I had to fix lunch. We had ham & leftovers. I was thankful I had a cucumber which set the meal off. No deserts & I felt bad as they are a BIG desert type family, but we'd had strawberry muffins for breakfast.
 
Later we took them to our preacher's house. I felt like we were imposing on them , but they said it was alright. As we were entering their hallway, Larry's wife Katherine was standing in a doorway to the dinning room to greet them, introducing herself. When I came thru, I said, "Hi! I'm Becky!" We all just cracked up. Then she hugged me. It was one of those funny but perfect Becky moments. Larry (preacher) & Everett (FIL) talked about farming.  We stayed about an hour as they wanted to leave around 4 to head back home. I was pretty tired when they left & thought I'd just crash, but I didn't. After talking to mom, I went to the store. I got more pistachio pudding, yams & brownies. I can't wash dishes, but I can cook! LOL I made a pumkin pie for Don, 2 lemon pies for Rhett. We will be going to mom's for lunch tomorrow. I'll be taking some leftovers plus some other things.
 
Daddy decided he wanted to put flowers on his father's grave so they went either Thurs or Friday. The flower holder thingie was broken. Daddy tried to fix it, but mom told him she'd fix it. Once Daddy got down there, he couldn't get up! She couldn't get him up. Luckily a man was coming thru & helped him up. It made me think this man was one of those angels God sends in a person's time of need. We were so thankful for this man/angel. I told mom I would have put the flowers on the grave for them and will probably do so from now on.

I am just thankful our Thanksgiving went as well as it did, but I am thankful it is over. Hope your's went well. It was nice just to relax in an uncluttered house. Of course the back room is piled up with stuff again! LOL

Our life is back to normal except we have two art Christmas parties to attend tonight and tomorrow night. Tonight is the Phenix City pot luck dinner and we can wear jeans. I am lucky enough to be able to get off work to have lunch with my friend Anne after her dr's appointment today then I have a follow-up with my obgyn about my HRT. I'll pick Rhett up from his play practice, fix something for tonight which will probably be my homemade mac-n-cheese not the boxed kind as well as whatever else I am in the mood to make. Rhett won't eat the Kraft anymore. He prefers mine. Awe. Tomorrow night we have the fancy art guild which I did not receive an invitation in the mail, but I have called about this and was told to come. I will take brownies to it as I did last year. Looking forward to meeting new art friends at the 1st party and seeing old ones that the 2nd.

I realize I need to encourage Mrs. Emily as she encourgaged me to join.

If you would like to partipate in Thankful Thursday, please go to the following where Laurie of a Woman Taking a Stand has posted a wonderful post today.
http://womentakingastand.blogspot.com/

Thanks, Laurie. I like being unique.